Rhino Records is planning 11 titles for this year's Record Store Day Black Friday--and two of them are fairly unexpected catalogue treats from two very different artists. First up, the label has announced an upcoming expanded edition on CD and LP of Richard Hell & The Voidoids' Blank Generation. Hell, a founding member of Television and one of the key figures of early punk rock in New York and beyond (his personal style of spiked hair and safety pins is said to have influenced Malcolm
New Hanson Collection to Lodge "MMMBop" In People's Heads Again
Twenty summers ago, it wafted through the early summer air like pollen: a wordless chorus with an absurdly chipper melody, sung by three brothers with shoulder-length blonde hair. Hanson's "MMMBop," an international chart-topper, didn't lead to wave after wave of commercial success for the Tulsa, Oklahoma trio, the group--now together for a quarter century--continues to turn out solid pop-rock tunes for their devoted fans. And this fall, a double-disc greatest hits compilation brings to the
Release Round-Up: Week of June 23
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Prince, Purple Rain: Music from the Motion Picture (various formats) (Warner Bros.) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 3CD/1DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. At long, long last - a deluxe, expanded Purple Rain arrives in various formats, including a 2-CD iteration with 11 previously unreleased outtakes and a 3-CD/1-DVD version adding a third CD of 15 single edits and
Release Round-Up: Week of June 16
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! David Bowie, Cracked Actor: Live in Los Angeles 1974 (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Cracked Actor: Live in Los Angeles 1974 is the first authorized release of Bowie's Philly Dogs Tour show at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheatre, from September 1974. First released earlier this year on vinyl only, some of this performance was featured in Alan Yentob's BBC documentary also known as Cracked Actor. The original tapes
Release Round-Up: Week of April 28
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Supremes, Supremes A' Go-Go: Expanded Edition (Motown/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Here we A' Go-Go! The Supremes' landmark, chart-topping 1966 album (with "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Love is Like An Itching In My Heart" - and that's just for starters!) gets lavishly expanded on two remastered CDs. This release has got it all: mono and stereo mixes of the original album, a whopping 29 bonus tracks (a full 24 of which
Ten Years Strong: The Second Disc's 2017 Record Store Day Must-Haves
Welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's Record Store Day event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent retailer! Our list features just a sampling of our favorites from our friends at Legacy Recordings, Varese Sarabande, Rhino Records, Walt Disney Records, Real Gone Music, Omnivore Recordings, and many more! Mike's kicking things off... This year's Record Store Day offerings
Hot Blooded: Foreigner Celebrate Four Decades with New Compilation
Just a little over four decades ago, on March 8, 1977, Foreigner hit record shelves. The album was the self-titled Atlantic Records debut of the band consisting of Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliot, Al Greenwood, Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi. The record would become a smash-hit, eventually going 5X platinum and launching Foreigner into superstardom right out of the gate. To celebrate this anniversary, Rhino is releasing a new 2-CD and 2-LP compilation entitled 40 on May 19. Foreigner
The Epic Archive (1975-1979)
Cheap Trick's The Epic Archive (1975-1979) brings together 18 odds and ends from the beginning of the band's career. The first volume of The Epic Archive brings together demos, alternate versions of songs, outtakes and live tracks, including three from a later concert at Budokan. Many of the tracks have been previously released on reissues over the years, but this is the first time they have been brought together. This title was previously available as a digital download, but this new
Livin' Proof: Cherry Red Follows Dusty Springfield's "Reputation" with "Very Fine Love" Deluxe Reissue
Earlier this year, Cherry Red's Strike Force Entertainment label reissued Dusty Springfield's Reputation, the legendary vocalist's 1990 "comeback" album featuring productions by The Pet Shop Boys, Dan Hartman, and others. That expanded reissue took the form of a 2-CD/1-DVD set, adding nineteen bonus tracks and five music videos within its slipcase. More recently, SFE has turned its attention to Dusty's follow-up, A Very Fine Love, as a CD/DVD combo. The 1995 Columbia album, recorded in
Release Round-Up: Week of August 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Turtles, The Complete Original Album Collection (Manifesto/FloEdCo) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The definitive Turtles box set is here! The Complete Original Albums Collection presents all six albums released by The Turtles between 1965 and 1970, expanded with rare bonus material. Each of the group's first three albums -- It Ain't Me Babe, You Baby and Happy Together -- is presented in its original mono and stereo mixes,
In Memoriam: George Martin (1926-2016)
Late last evening, March 8, Ringo Starr took to Twitter with a loving message of sad news: "God bless George Martin peace and love to Judy and his family love Ringo and Barbara George will be missed xxx." With the passing of Sir George Martin at the age of 90, the world has lost one of the most influential producers of all time. Had Martin "only" produced the majority of The Beatles' recordings, his place in the pantheon of history would have been assured. But Martin's contributions to
Smash Hits: Elvis, Miles, Jimi, Johnny Cash, Big Star Headline Legacy's Record Store Day Slate
Record Store Day is coming up in a little more than a month, on Saturday, April 16, and the titles are starting to pour in for the annual celebration of brick-and-mortar record stores. Today, Legacy Recordings has just announced its slate! It's a typically eclectic line-up of vinyl releases from some of the label's heaviest hitters from rock-and-roll, country, jazz, and beyond, including Elvis Presley, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Big Star and many more! Big Star - Complete
The Ides of March Celebrate 50 Years with "Last Band Standing" Box Set
"Beware the ides of March," goes the famous admonition. Thankfully, Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, Bob Bergland and Mike Borch didn't heed the warning. Formed in Berwyn, Illinois in 1965 as the Shon-Dels, The Ides of March are still going strong 50 years later with their brassy blend of good-time rock and roll, R&B, pop and soul epitomized on the 1970 hit single "Vehicle." These rock and roll survivors and local legends around the Chicago scene have recently assembled a definitive box set
Review: Jellyfish, "Bellybutton" and "Spilt Milk" Deluxe Editions
Omnivore Recordings has come out swinging in 2015! With the long-anticipated deluxe reissues of Jellyfish’s two studio albums finally here, the label has set a high bar for sheer pop ecstasy. While the band is often tagged as “power pop” – which is not altogether inaccurate – these two 2-CD sets make a strong case that Jellyfish was so much more. In his liner notes for this deluxe revival of 1990 debut Bellybutton (OVCD-5), author Ken Sharp points out that “everyone from Queen to Henry
Reissue Theory: Joe Jackson, "Live in Tokyo: The Big World Tour"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on classic musical works and the reissues they could someday see. Today, Mike reflects on one of British rock's angriest young men all grown up, and the one weird aspect of the catalogue market that has yet to be greatly exploited. Like many of you, I've had an angry young man phase. You know the feelings, I'm sure. You're a bundle of emotions and everything is just super-serious. You're insecure but maddeningly self-assured -
Give 'Em a Spin: The Second Disc's Essential Back to Black Friday 2013 Release Guide
Another year...another Black Friday. Yes, it's that time of year again in which consumers start off the holiday shopping season on a mad, frenetic note. This year is another one in which numerous big-box retailers in the U.S. have made headlines by blackening Thursday, or Thanksgiving Day itself, by sales starting on the holiday. So many might give thanks that the folks behind Record Store Day are waiting until the traditional Friday to release their twice-yearly slate of exclusive releases. As
Back to Black: Legacy Unveils Record Store Day Black Friday Exclusives From Simon, Dylan, Davis, Nilsson, Hendrix & More
It's that time of year again! Though Black Friday has taken a backseat in recent years to the once-unheard-of Thanksgiving Day sales, the folks at Record Store Day still hold the day after Thanksgiving in high esteem. News has begun to trickle out about this year's RSD Back to Black Friday exclusives, and the team at Legacy has certainly put together a collection of special vinyl releases - and a handful of CDs, too - that look back to recent releases from the label and forward to future
INTERVIEW: Excavating Jem with Marty Scott
The list of American cities tied to record labels is small, but certainly notable. Memphis has Stax and Sun, Detroit is defined by Motown, Sub Pop defined the Seattle sound...and then there's Jem Records, which made its home in the middle-class borough of South Plainfield, New Jersey. Jem, as well as its sub-labels like Passport (a joint venture with Seymour Stein of Sire Records) and PVC, became something of a cratedigger's dream in the 1970s and 1980s, licensing content from all over the
The Year in Reissues: The 2012 Gold Bonus Disc Awards
Wow! Was it just over a year ago when a rather dubious report began circulating (that, shockingly, was picked up by many otherwise-reputable publications) that proclaimed the death of the CD was secretly scheduled by the major labels for 2012? Well, 2012 has come and (almost) gone, and it might have been the most super-sized year in recent memory for reissues, deluxe and otherwise, from labels new and old. Here at the Second Disc, we consider our annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards a companion
Review: Jellyfish, "Live at Bogart's"
When Jellyfish's Live at Bogart's was recorded on February 21, 1991, did anybody realize that neither the band nor the venue were long for this world? On December 2, 1993, The Los Angeles Times lamented the closure of the Long Beach, California club, calling it a "mighty blow" to the local music community. Yet Bogart's actually outlasted the first iteration of the band that hailed from miles up north in the San Francisco Bay Area. Andy Sturmer (drums/vocals), Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Omnivore to Sting Fans with Jellyfish Vinyl Reissues
The reign of Jellyfish was a devilishly short one. Yet with only two albums and a cataclysmic lineup change at the halfway point, Jellyfish's output deserves a place in the edifice of power pop, alongside such luminaries as Badfinger, Cheap Trick and XTC. And now, fans will be able to enjoy those two albums on vinyl - one for the first time in the U.S. and one of them for the first time anywhere - thanks to the good folks at Omnivore Recordings. Jellyfish was the brainchild of singer/drummer
Back Tracks: John Lennon
Whether you thought he was the smartest of The Beatles, the best writer, the most politically astute, the one with the most interesting solo career - or if you disagree with any of those statements - I daresay I cannot allow you to disagree with this one: it is not fair that John Lennon is not still alive today. Regardless of your take on his input into the Fab Four (or their eventual demise), Lennon was very much an intelligent, caring, smart musician, who spent much of his career using those
The Setlist Situation, Part II
A huge debt to Vintage Vinyl News for posting the track lists of the upcoming batch of Setlist compilations from Legacy Recordings. If you haven't been following these titles, Sony's reissue label is releasing 11 budget-oriented live compilations (basically a live counterpart to their successful and sometimes collector-worthy Playlist series) on July 13. Happily, VVN's post (the information of which comes from Legacy itself) shows the discs seem rather forthcoming about recording information -
The Setlist Situation
When Legacy announced a new compilation series called Setlist, featuring some of their roster's greatest hits in a live setting, some fans understandably started scratching their heads. The label's Playlist series, from which this new series obviously drew inspiration, made sense on a few levels. They were compilations priced for the budget-conscious, and sometimes had a few bones thrown to hardcore collectors in the form of single-only mixes or edits. For Setlist, however, the premise seems
Back Tracks: The Supremes
Introducing Back Tracks, a new feature where we take an upcoming release and introduce you to some of the other reissued works from the same group. Today, we start with The Supremes, whose first album, 1962's Meet The Supremes, is scheduled for reissue by Hip-O Select on May 18 (credit where it's due to MusicTAP for the date). The trio is much loved by Motown fans and staff alike. As such, Hip-O Select has dug lots of their treasures from the vault. Hit the jump to take a look at nine Supremes